Fall Highlights in Niagara

Autumn is the favourite season for many photographers. The colours in the forest can be spectacular. Wildlife, especially birds, can often be found in abundance as they migrate. And, the weather can bring interesting effects like fog into more prominence. When most people think of the Niagara, Canada area their minds usually go directly to Niagara Falls. That’s understandable given how majestic they can be during all four seasons. In this article I’d like to share a few images taken at other locations in the Niagara area that many photographers overlook.

The first one is Dufferin Islands. Even though they are located only a short 10-minute walk away from Niagara Falls on the Canadian side of the border very few visitors to the area pay them any heed.

NIKON 1 V2 + 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 6.7mm, ISO 160, 1/320, f/5.6

These very small island are linked together with pathways and small bridges, with a crescent shaped lagoon situated between the access road and the Niagara Parkway.

NIKON 1 V2 + 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 6.7mm, ISO 160, 1/200, f/5.6

You can take a leisurely stroll along the various pathways and you’ll be treated to many opportunities for landscape images.

NIKON 1 V2 + 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 6.7mm, ISO 200, 1/100, f/6.3

The area also attracts a wide variety of birds including ducks, geese, cormorants, and if you’re lucky in the early fall you may even spot some egrets and great blue heron.

NIKON 1 V2 + CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 266.9mm, ISO 1400, 1/1250, f/5.6

Many of the ducks are quite comfortable being around people which creates some good opportunities for individual, close-up images.

NIKON 1 V2 + CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 300mm, ISO 1800, 1/1250, f/6.3

Another area that can be quite picturesque, especially in foggy conditions is Charles Daley Park.

NIKON 1 V2 + 10-100mm f/4.5-5.6 PD @ 10mm, ISO 160, 1/320, f/5.6

The park is situated on Lake Ontario in the town of Lincoln, approximately 25 minutes west of Niagara Falls, Canada. Access off the Queen Elizabeth Way highway is quite easy.

NIKON 1 V2 + 10-100mm f/4.5-5.6 PD @ 12.1mm, ISO 160, 1/320, f/5.6

There are a number of trees right along the lake front, as well as along the shore of a small lagoon. These can make for some interesting images in various weather conditions. My favourite time to visit the park is when it is shrouded in fog.

NIKON 1 V2 + 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 6.7mm, ISO 160, 1/200, f/5.6

A short drive from Niagara Falls, with direct access from the Niagara Parkway, is the Niagara Glen Nature Reserve. It is certainly worth a visit!

NIKON 1 V2 + 10-100mm f/4.5-5.6 PD @ 12.8mm, ISO 800, 1/800, f/5.6

There are numerous, marked trails in the reserve. They are all accessed by a tall, metal stairway that will take you down into the Niagara Gorge.

NIKON 1 V2 + 10-100mm f/4.5-5.6 PD @ 15.3mm, ISO 800, 1/100, f/5.6

If you love to combine hiking with photography this is a wonderful place to visit. There are all kinds of large rocks and boulders, along with fallen trees that can make for some very interesting captures.

NIKON 1 V2 + 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 PD @ 7.3mm, ISO 400, 1/160, f/8.0

If you visit in the fall it is always advisable to look at some of the detail right at your feet as the combination of rocks, old logs, leaves and moss can make for some interesting compositions.

NIKON 1 V2 + 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 6.7mm, ISO 400, 1/25, f/8.0

If you’re planning a trip to the Niagara, Canada area I’d highly recommend adding these three locations to your list of places to visit. Be sure to bring your camera!

Article and all images Copyright Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, duplication of any kind, or adaptation is allowed without written consent.

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About Thomas Stirr

Thomas Stirr is an author, photographer/videographer, and executive coach based in Grimsby Ontario Canada. He specializes in industrial photography, as well as safety/training/corporate videos. His work also includes landscape and nature photography, and experimentation with photo art. Nikon Canada has featured Tom's work numerous times on Facebook and Twitter. To follow Thomas, please visit his photography blog and check out his eBooks.

Beautiful images, Thomas! I love the water reflections and the duck taking off – what a great shot! And of course I’m a sucker for autumn colours! :) Looks like a fabulous place to shoot :) Regards, Sharif.

Great stuff Tom thanks for posting the great images! I’m going to have to check out the Charles Daley Park as I love to hike in the trails of Niagara with my camera in toe. Have you had a chance to get into the Short Hills in Pelham? That too would be a great destination for hikers or nature lovers! Also in Pelham, there is the old Comfort Maple which is believed to be Canada’s oldest sugar maple tree… HUGE, and held together with cables, LOL.

Dear Thomas, I always look forward to your contributions to Photography Life and as always your most recent autumn portfolio and instructions did not disappoint. I was reminded of Keats’ Ode to Autumn with the moodiness the fog created in some of the photos. Just wondering, do you have any educated guess or crystal ball yet regarding the V4 that should be in the offing in 2016? I’m not greedy. I’d be happy with the J5’s BSI cmos sensor, the J5’s tilting screen with a V2 viewfinder, etc.

Hi David, Everything that I am hearing points to a Nikon 1 V4 announcement in January/February of 2016. If Nikon handles it correctly (and make some design changes from the V3) I think they will sell a lot of V4’s! Thanks for the positive comment about the article – always appreciated!

Hi Luc, I’m glad you enjoyed the pics – and thanks for the positive comment! I used a graduated neutral density filter for some of the images at Dufferin Islands and at Niagara Glen which helped compensate for the limited dynamic range of the Nikon 1 V2’s sensor. Tom

Every fall I take hikes around the Niagara escarpment but I never end up with any pictures as beautiful as yours. It’s pretty amazing how you’re able to transform what are really ordinary locations into something special and worth repeated viewing. But I have to ask you Thomas, how is it possible to get that amount of detail and clarity from the V2, is it from the neutral density filter, did you bracket the shots and combine them in post, what kind of magic are you wielding?

Hi Stephen, Thank you very much for your most generous comment! All of the images are single exposures, no bracketing or combining of images. I used Lee graduated neutral density filters for some of the Dufferin Islands and Niagara Glen images which helps get more detail in the sky. I also played around a bit with exposure compensation with some of the Niagara Glen images (-0.3 and -0.7). Other than that I used my standard processing…OpticsPro 10, then a DNG into CS6 and some final tweaks in Nik Suite. You may find this article of interest: tomstirrphotography.com/post-…ape-images Tom

Tom , beautiful images as always. I second what Nasim said. I especially like number 3 with being able to see both into the water and the reflections on top at the same time. Please keep doing what you do. Nikon should hire you as their spokesman for the 1 system.

Comment Policy: Although our team at Photography Life encourages all readers to actively participate in discussions, we reserve the right to delete / modify any content that does not comply with our Code of Conduct, or do not meet the high editorial standards of the published material.

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